~~ Winds of Time ~~

I called to the wind of the winter,
As he sped like a steed on his way,
Please rest for awhile on your journey,
And answer these questions, I pray.

Who is the foe to all virtue?
Who is the chieftain of crime?
Who blackens the forehead of beauty?
And cheats the finger of time?
Who makes the heart to be aged?
In the beautiful morning of youth?
Who is the herald of sorrow?
And who the assassin of Truth?
Who is the help-meet of Satan?
The agent of regions below?
Who the promoter of vices?
Who loads the bosom with woe?
Who embezzles the strength of the mighty?
Who steals the wits of the wise?
Who makes the good and the noble?
A thing that the meanest despise?

And the wind of the wild winter answered,
In a voice like a clarion call:
''It’s a beast legion-headed, a demon
They are Men,
They help-meet that Satan
Sends out from the kingdom of hell,
A many-faced demon, who do
The work of the master right well;
For he weaves his web round the noble,
And slays the soul with his breath.
Ah! It’s the man…the foe to all virtue,
And this is the agent of death.”